Amazon launches Instant Pickup service targeting students

Amazon has launched a service in the US offering daily "Essentials" for collection within two minutes of ordering. The items available in Instant Pickup include snacks, cold drinks, smartphone chargers and Amazon devices. The new service will enable Prime and Prime Student members to use the Amazon app to order items they need urgently from a curated collection of popular products. Amazon employees at the pickup points then process the order, and it will be available to collect from a self-service locker within two minutes. Over the past two years, Amazon has been making an increasing play for offline bricks-and-mortar shops - from the physical book shop Amazon Books, launched in Seattle in 2015, to its acquisition of the grocery chain Whole Foods in June.